It's On Now!

After eight and a half years of waiting, my Mom and Dad have finally arrived in the Marianas. Kathy and I picked them up at the airport Friday night (Saturday morning) and it's been a bur ever since.

It's wonderful to have my family here and it's great going out for drinks with my Dad. Last night we hit up Bossano Bar before what can only be described as my father's immersion into Thai culture at Wild Bill's.

By the end of the night my Dad learned a couple of Thai phrases and even more about the nightly celebrations of life by the Thai ladies. My Dad now officially has about three new Thai sisters and the official seal of approval by Nong, the bar's proprietor.

There are many places left for us to frequent, and I think that we're going to be out on the town in some way, shape or form every night they are here.

I was originally bummed out that my brother and sister won't be able to make it here for our wedding, and I still am a bit, but I received some words of wisdom from a friend of mine over scotch and cigars that put my mind at ease.

He said that I should look at it as a blessing that I will be able to focus all of my time on my parents instead of dividing my attention between the previously touted swarm of haoles who initially said that they would make it out here for our big day.

Sure, it would have been nice to spend time with my entire family but right now I am really enjoying this time with my parents. I got a little choked up while I watched my Mom holding my boy, Keoni Ryu.

She knows exactly how to make him smile and laugh, as does his Grandpa. I am so glad to see them holding our son and spending time with us as a family. It makes me wonder what it would be like should Kath and I move back to the mainland.

There is just so much that I want to cram into the next couple of weeks but I think I'd rather have them spend an additional two weeks out here so we can fully enjoy their company. I think that's something akin to using my third and final wish to wish for more wishes, and genies generally don't go for that.

Life As A Clock Watcher

I admit it, I'm watching the clock. There are so many things that I'm waiting for these days that it almost feels like I am a puppet of time.

Two weeks from today I will be a married man, in less than a week my parents will take there footsteps on Saipan soil, and any day now I will receive my Samson microphone in the mail!

I'm excited about all three, but my future of podcasting and new blogging adventure on tumblr is on hold until that bad boy gets here.

I've already posted a couple of things on tumblr but it's nowhere near what I'd like to do.

There are so many possibilities with all of the available features on my next blogging platform. The new microphone will allow me to raise the level of quality for my news reports, and a new tablet will allow me to take that to a whole new level.

When it first hit the market, I couldn't comprehend the need for the iPad. Sure, it was cool and looked an awful lot like the electronic notepads used on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but why would that be better for me than a laptop?

All I could see when I looked at the tablet was the long list of limitations, both real and perceived. Rather than realize the practical applications, I focused on the lack memory and processing power. To me, the iPad was nothing more than a really cool toy. Oh, and an expensive toy, at that.

I'm still not interested in the iPad, although I appreciate the benefits it has to offer. While it is pretty cool, I'm a PC guy so I'd like to continue to use my cool software on one of the new iPad wannabes.

From what I've seen, they're relatively inexpensive and pack an awful lot of power and features that leaves the iPad behind a bit. I'll never win that argument with a Mac guy, but that's fine with me.

So about all of this waiting...

At least I'm not waiting to magically get in shape. That is one thing that I have been able to do something about.

I've been running every morning for the past week and enjoying just about every bit of it.

It's hard to believe how far I've slipped from the height of my fitness. Without a doubt, I am at least the furthers from my cardiovascular goals than I have been for quite some time.

It' been ages since I've run a 10km but for some reason I think that I should be able to wake up and knock out a half marathon tomorrow morning should I choose to do so.

That probably has plenty to do with my mental self-image. I still feel like I should be able to do anything, but the reality is that I need to run, bike and swim myself back into shape if I want to get to a place where I'll be truly happy.

There's a great travel opportunity for the CNMI Men's National Soccer Team this spring as we compete against Guam, Macau, and Mongolia in the EAFF Tournament. The site hasn't been determined as of yet but our Football Association is pushing to have the tournament in Mongolia.

Guess announcement of the tournament host is just one more thing I'll have to wait for.

Taking A tumblr

After stumbling upon someone's page, I've decided to start one of my own on tumblr.

I've thumbed through it and from what I've seen so far it looks pretty cool.

Much like blogger, this new platform offers the ability to upload text, photos, audio and video.

I had heard of tumblr before but never looked into it because it seemed like just another blogging platform.

The audio feature alone might make this my favorite venue to voice my takes on the world. This might be where I start to post my podcasts of the local news in Saipan.

My posts will be all text, photo or video based until that darn microphone gets here. Maybe I'll get lucky and see that in my post office box this afternoon.

Chillin' With The Chills

Once in a while you just need to take one when you're not feeling all that well. That fits the bill for me today so I've opted to spend the day at home rather than take my unhappiness to the office.

I might have been able to soldier on through the day but the effects of spreading this to the rest of my coworkers would be unpleasant, at best.

This was definitely the right choice. I hope I'm feeling better tomorrow because there are a few things that I'd like to get accomplished this week and I want to make sure that I have enough time to make it all happen.

Sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough rocks

Because of the job that I do, maintaining a presence on Facebook is a must. More than that, I've got to maintain a persona. It's not that I can't write what I want or what I truly feel, but it just works out better if everyone thinks that everything is always great all of the time.

Facebook is more than a fun way to check on the status of your friends and family. More than anything, Facebook is a marketing tool for the regular guy. Twitter is to some degree as well but people in the Marianas don't "tweet" or follow those who do in the same fashion as their counterparts in the mainland.

So aside from some very light negativity, Facebook is all rainbows and unicorns for me unless it might enhance my overall product to delve a little deeper or comment on something a little more meaningful.

I think that some, if not most, people make the mistake of posting their minute-by-minute thoughts in their status messages. Professional athletes are the worst offenders, but their spontaneous voices have left Facebook in favor of the Twittesphere.

That seems like it would be a better option. I mean, how much damage can someone do in 160 characters or less? Plenty. While the athletes face fines from leagues and teams, the damage is far worse for people who commit similar social party fouls on Facebook.

Facebook is just the wrong venue for venting. Friends are on on there, which is no big deal to the venter in question. The problems arise with the addition of family and ignite when coworkers are added to the mix. That's where people cross the threshold into the world of hurt.

Thoughts that are either understood or written off by friends and family quickly become the thing of gossip and behind-the-back talk at the office. Those who routinely enjoy grabbing drinks and light conversation during happy hour sessions with the venter begin to take issue with random musings on political or religious issues without granting the benefit of the doubt.

And then there are potential employers who either learn to love the posts in question or smartly choose to eliminate them from news feeds. There is little hope for the Internet idealist intent on changing the world in less than the 421 characters Facbook offers in a profile status message.

Past experiences and lessons learned have forced me to block certain coworkers from the ability to view my Facebook pages. The decision to do so ruffled a few feathers at the office but proved the cure for what ailed them. In one instance, a couple of them mentioned that they disapproved of my opinions and offered some advice on what and what not to post.

I eventually concluded that it might be easier just to block them altogether. At least one of them returned the favor, and that eliminated the need for future conversation on the topic of my online opinions. They also mentioned this blog as a source of their unhappiness, but they had the option of not reading or closing their eyes.

Nobody forced them to find this blog. That was years ago when there was an actual blogging community here in the Marianas.

All that remains now is a few of us who sporadically check each other for new content. That has actually given this blog new life. I prefer the relative anonymity that blogging offers now that I've let this little section of server space all but wither away.

Now I've chosen to write a little more openly about my thoughts. Since there aren't many people reading this anymore, I am free to ramble on about whatever. Well, I'm free to write about anything within reason.

Back to the matter at hand...

All of the lessons I've learned studying social media has come in handy as our company's overseer of all things social. You name it, we've got it, and I'm the one who checks it. I'm all too happy to take credit for all of the success we've achieved because I conceptualized our company's social media presence and have called all of the shots.

The problem I've recently come across is that people relatively new to social media have no idea how to use it. I've witnessed near flawless execution and I am a fan or people who do it right. The folks who I'm working for don't get it completely.

I've been asked to execute a poor social networking plan that will likely fail and sacrifice some of the momentum that I've built over the past couple of years. Were I a few notches higher on the ladder this wouldn't be an issue, but the guys who get paid to make the big bucks also get to make the big decisions...as well as the little ones.

Because I'm pretty awesome, I'm going to give a poorly conceived plan 100% of my effort. And it's a bad plan. How bad? Like invading Russia in the winter bad. Like Little Bighorn bad. Like Waterloo bad. Basically, it's just not a good plan.

I offered my opinion about the current directions received this afternoon in a significantly filtered manner but my attempt to educate the decision makers didn't go as well as I had hoped. I actually considered submitting my two weeks notice but thought better of it in lieu of taking a breath and walking away at the end of the day.

Parents On The Way

Eleven days from now my folks will be introduced to the heat and humidity that greets all passengers who take their first steps on the tarmac at Saipan's Francisco C. Ada Airport.

I am very excited to see my Mom and Dad next week. It's going to be great to show them where I've spent the past eight and a half years of my life. They've heard all of the stories (well, not all of them) and now they will get a chance to see the beauty firsthand.

While I am happy that they will be here, their presence has added a bit to my pre-wedding stress. I want them to enjoy the trip but there's an added pressure to have my parents understand why I've stayed in the Marianas and approve of all I've done to this point.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that parental approval is something all kids want.

You're Listening To...

I love to talk. That's no secret.



It's been a couple of years since I last hosted "The Sports Show with Brad & Shan" on 1080AM here in the Marianas, but my love for radio hasn't diminished one bit. While I miss the relative notoriety that broadcast radio provides, the thing I miss the most is my voice.

Our show gave me the opportunity to say what I want every morning and get paid for doing so. Sure, the money was lousy but the benefits were amazing! I got to have people tune in to listen to whatever it was that Shan and I wanted to say.

Our program brought the top sporting news stories of the Marianas and the world to our listeners in Saipan and Tinian. We'd like to think Rota caught the show as well but the signal probably never made it out that far.

Going in, I knew that there would be plenty of upside brought about by the show. Notoriety, marketing potential, a cross-promotion for our sports section in the Saipan Tribune, and the ability to shape the collective sports focus in the Marianas were all but a few of the benefits in store for us.

What I didn't expect from the experience was that I would find my true calling. For years, I was told that I've had too much time on my hands to come up with some of the goofy things that come out of my mouth.

Suddenly, the things that were stupid of me to say became entertaining and engendered a following of listeners unseen in the Marianas. It might sound like I'm tooting my own horn (which I am), but we really had something special.

I often talk too much and tell stories that are too long-winded. That's perfect for radio! I never had difficulty filling air time with topic-laden chatter. Talkative people need to be in radio. The best thing is that we don't even have to be attractive!

So why do I bring all of this up in the dusty ol' blog this morning? Because I'm excited about the arrival of a microphone I bought for the purpose of podcasting. What will I talk about? Well, I enjoyed giving the Commonwealth report for the Pacific News Center, so I think I'll start with a daily review of the CNMI's top stories.

If that feels good enough then I won't get too deep into the process. I've got a few ideas in mind should I enjoy it too much, but there's no need to get carried away just now. My best case scenario would be to sell my pieces to local radio stations or for them to be picked up by the folks in Guam.

In the meantime, I need to come up with a name for my radio news idea. I want to get a something that will work well for tags at then end of my reports. My line with the Pacific News Center was, "Reporting from Saipan, Brad Ruszala, PNC News."

I always liked saying that.

While I wait for the microphone to get here I'll continue to work on the naming process.

*Thanks to Lewie Tenorio for creating our show logo and animation!

Hark, Hugo's There!

How bad is the healthcare system in your country that your leader boards a plane to have a medical procedure performed in Cuba? We're talking about a country where people still drive Bel Airs that are held together with gum and paperclips as daily drivers.

I never thought all that much of Hugo Chavez or the way he leads Venezuela, but something tells me that state of the art medical care in his South American country equates to the use of a First Aid Kit in a room without as many flies as the lobby.

Cuba? Really? I've been to Guantanamo Bay and met Cubans who tried leaving the island nation on homemade rafts. They told me firsthand how bad it was at Castro Disney.

Communism? Yes!
Secret police? Yes!
Quality healthcare? Who knew?

Maybe what Cuba needs is a new marketing campaign to clean up its image.

For those who aren't ambitious:
Come for the health care, stay for the Communism!

For the economically conscious:
Come to Cuba and heal for a steal!

For those who seek adventure:
Cuba: It's like Mexico with a longer swim!

Things must be pretty bad in Venezuela if the Head of State heads to Cuba for top notch medical care. Would Barack Obama fly to Saipan to get his spleen removed? Hmm, I doubt it.

Well biba, Spain! Congratulations on setting another part of the world back 200 years due to poor colonial practices. I blame the siestas.

Scott, Julie, Weddings and Priorities

It's been a long time coming but with less than a month to go before Kathy and I exchange vows, some of the details are starting to weigh a little more heavily than before.

Of course the cost of the rehearsal dinners, pre-wedding entertainment, ceremony, and reception are never too far from the forefront of my financial fixation, there are other thoughts that surface once in a while...when I let them.

The thing that's got me down is that my brother and sister won't make it out. It wasn't easy for me to get home for their respective weddings, but somehow, someway I did. I didn't want them to go through the rest of their lives with the thought that I didn't care enough to be there for them on their big day.

The cost of airfare hasn't gotten any cheaper over the years but the price to fly here for our wedding isn't much different than it was when Kathy and I flew to New York for Scott and Kristen's wedding last summer.

They both explained about the financial barriers that stand in the way of their trip, but those seemingly insurmountable walls were present when I was posed with making each of my trips to the mainland.

So how should I feel?

Angry?
Sad?
Mad?
Furious?
Resentful?
Hurt?

Should I get to work on the grudge of all grudges?

Well, I thought about all of the above and I can't really settle on any of them. I suppose that I've moved on from the "grudge of all grudges" train of thought months ago when they had all but decided that they weren't going to make it out here.

I've moved beyond anger and ferocity because the basis of both was rooted in my sincere and heartfelt disappointment that my kid brother and baby sister would even consider not making the trip.

There's a part of me that's holding out for a surprise visit from both of them, but remnants of my optimism are wavering, at best. As our family history goes, I'm the one who drops in for surprise visits.

I don't know for sure how their absence is going to affect our long-term relationship. Sadly, I guess that the family bond will seem somewhat less intact.

Seriously, how could they not make it here for my wedding? For me? Do they not see the bigger picture or did I think too much of the impact that my absence would have on their transition?

Am I taking this too far? I don't know, maybe. While I can't rate the importance that they placed on my presence at their respective weddings, I know exactly how much I want them to be there for mine.

I have such a difficult time accepting that they wouldn't make it. It's not as if I sprung this wedding on them a few months ago. I told them about our engagement in September. That's 10 months to prepare for a trip.

Granted, it's a long trip. The flight from New York to Saipan is easily the longest that anyone in my immediate family has ever taken. Perhaps my judgement is clouded because I posses an adventurous spirit that my family doesn't share.

It's not all bad.

Despite facing the same hurdles, my parents will make the trip for our wedding. I look forward to spending time with them here in Saipan and showing them why I have chosen to live on this tiny little rock in the middle of the sea.

It's a shame that they'll only be here for a couple of weeks, but I'll take what I can get. I've already worked out a full schedule for my folks, but there are a couple of days for them to discover a the island for themselves.

If I'm lucky I will be able to make it home this winter but it's a bit more realistic that I'll be in New York next summer for our high school reunion. Yeah, that's the sound of Father Time tracking me down.

Maybe that's why the absence of Julie and Scott at my wedding bothers me so much. We're getting older and each day takes us a step closer to placing our individual families ahead of our family.

I don't like it.

And I miss them.